Ships
by The Bloody Red Queen Of Angst
Summary: "[We are as] Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing. Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness. So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another. Only a look and a voice, then darkness again, and a silence." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Sequel to Suicide Girl And Her Saboten. Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. *Complete*
1. I Want To See You

_And his voice is a familiar sound,_

 _Nothing lasts forever..._

 _But this is getting good now_

 _He's so tall_

 _And handsome as hell_

 _He's so bad, but he does it so well_

Gripping tightly to the small bag of groceries and ill gotten contraband, the fingers of my free hand stretched to reach and encircle themselves around the doorknob. But as I twisted the ensnared metal handle to open the door, nothing happened. A slight jiggle of the handle in irritation, and still...nothing. He had locked the door behind me. Again. A small puff of an agitated sigh pushed its way through my lips as fingers finally released the doorknob to curl themselves into a loose fist. The light, swift rap of my knuckles against the barricaded door made their unobtrusive announcement. This was followed by silence...and the softer sounds of life and movement from beyond the other side of the door, like the slowed shuffle of feet as they drew closer in response to this gentle summons.

" _Who is it...?_ "

A helpless groan escaped me as my eyes dramatically rolled themselves to the heavens in complete exasperation to this muffled question of a demand before crashing to the ground below. Unbelievable. My third day with him...and he was _still_ doing this to me. The man had issues. My kaleidoscope gaze finally lifted to the door before I discreetly muttered my response.

"It's me." I quietly hissed to the closed door in growing irritation, wondering for a moment if he truly had expected someone else...or if this had just become a sick, morbid form of him messing with me. "Now open up." The rough metallic sounds of chain scraping wood caused me to shake my head in slight dismay.

"Dork..." I whispered this breathy insult as I bit along my lip to stifle harsher words, my fingers lightly swiped at the strands of bright blue hair along my forehead to tuck the unruly tresses behind my ear and the safety of the hoodie I wore.

The meatier, more substantial click of the lock and the jerk of the door opening pulled my gaze to meet the almost hateful rich, dark chocolate brown stare of my prickly little saboten. I just couldn't help the small, tingling rush of exhilaration that ravaged my body at the way he smoldered and glowered at me through that shock of electric blue, and I wondered if he really understood exactly how sexually intoxicating he could unintentionally make himself. Looming his imposing, tall lanky figure over me for a moment, he silently stared down at me before stepping to the side and finally allowing me to enter his humble abode.

Moving through the threshold into the entryway of his apartment, I slipped off the dull, basic black flats from my feet I had paired with a plain t-shirt and dark skinny jeans for the outing before reentering his home. A habit of my culture, and one he clearly didn't share as his own feet were still adorned with thick, heavy black leather combat boots. I heard him shut the door behind me before swiveling to bare witness to the man once again barricading himself inside his own home.

"You know..." I murmured lightly, making my way to a small table to set down the fruits of my labor and spare change from the money he had entrusted to me. "You're either a bit compulsive with that...or really paranoid." This slight of hand comment over his questionable mental health earned me a stern glare. "You might want to look into that..." I responded to his sour expression as my lips lifted into a helpless smirk.

"Is that mine?" My disgruntled host quipped in a bitter, angry tone, having _finally_ noticed my choice of attire, stalking past me with a scowl as I brushed off the hood of the zipup I had stolen from him.

 _Yesterday_.

...my man was a little slow on the uptake...

"You sent me out to buy you food _and_ conduct your shady dealings." I deadpanned in mock seriousness, not actually bothered in the least by having been roped into purchasing junk food and Marijuana for my prickly little saboten. "I felt an equally shady disguise was necessary for the mission." I finished with a shrug of indifference in the oversized hoodie towards his surly disposition.

As he aimlessly dug through the small plastic bag, sifting through its contents to retrieve the Pepsi I had bought for him and the energy drink I had bought for myself, I watched his upper lip curl in a subtle sneer of disdain towards my favorite beverage. And that was it, the last straw.

I could deal with his snarky, passive aggressive rudeness and perpetually foul mood. Honestly...that was still a pretty big turn on for me.

I could even deal with his overtly hostel 'toleration' of my unannounced presence.

But the way he insulted my energy drink with his judgmental gaze...

 _That_...was unforgivable.

"I did you a freakin' favor." I glared at his back as he opened the Pepsi to take an intoxicatingly masculine swallow, completely ignoring me for the soda as I faltered in my anger towards him. "It wouldn't kill you to show a little appreciation, you know."

The lip of the soda slowly drifted away from his mouth as his head tilted even slower in my direction to finally acknowledge my frustration. The man regarded me silently for a moment, his expression one of blank stone before he deigned to utter a response to my complaint over the lack of his hospitality.

"You feel unappreciated?" He muttered this cold challenge in an even colder monotone as he peered at me through that deliciously dark, smoldering gaze of his. "There's the door." The man jutted a black-tipped finger towards the locked entrance of his apartment. "Dasvi-fuckin-daniya." And I felt myself reflexively flinch away infinitesimally from the harshness of his words as my kaleidoscope gaze fell to the floor with the soft tremble of my lips.

He was a mean, cruel little boy. And I think he suspected that he had just hurt me. But I didn't want to admit that to him now. To give him that satisfaction and power over me. Stifling down the tears threatening to give me away, I decided to turn the tables instead.

"Thanks, but I think I'll stay." My voice manifested a facade of confidence through all the smarmy sarcastic bitterness I could muster. "Being around you makes _my_ life seem _way_ less crappy." And I felt a strange sense of satisfaction laced with a twinge of remorse as I witnessed the almost imperceptible tell in the falter of his stoic expression indicating that I had actually managed to successfully strike a nerve.

The smallest fracture in his cold mask that I had made in retaliation for his cruelty.

But I couldn't deny the kernel of truth to this statement. With a level of reluctant chagrin, I had to admit that the days spent with Saboten the Cactus Man had actually allowed me to put some perspective and distance on my own life and never ending list of whoas. My cheating scumbag asshole of a dad had finally done the only honorable thing by my mother and separated himself from her, finalizing their divorce. And this one honorable act had completely crushed my mother. Any last reserves of strength she'd had were violently wiped away with one stroke of the pen and my father's signature. Nothing was the same after that. And as much as I loved her, living with my mom had become a waking nightmare. So when school had finally ended...and she had suggested that I go and spend the summer break with my aunt and her husband in America... Well... I had jumped at the offer, to say the least.

But upon my arrival it soon became clear that my aunt was far more preoccupied with the goings on of her overindulged, spoiled children than a visit from the only daughter of her beloved baby sister. I didn't really mind this neglect, though. Relief from the spotlight and ever-present sorrow of my mother was a blessing to me. But...it was only when my cousin had mentioned a rumor that my summer adventure had _really_ begun.

It all started with a whisper that my beloved saboten was dwelling in this same illustrious city. A rumor that I had initially discredited due to the outlandish coincidence _and_ its source. I mean, really...what were the odds, right? But, as it always did, morbid curiosity had gotten the best of me. And so I did some investigating. I honestly hadn't expected much...but to my utter surprise and ecstatic delight, the rumor had turned out to be true. Go figure...

And thus, the stalking had begun.

In my hot pursuit of 'the one that got away'...formerly known as 'the one I'd never actually had'...I finally managed to track him down. A feat, I assure you, that was far more difficult than it sounds. Having accomplished this task, it had been surprisingly easy to convince my aunt to allow me to spend a few days of my vacation with 'an old friend'. Like I said, she was far more preoccupied with her own kids. Something that I was now exceedingly grateful for as I stood in Saboten's home.

Now...getting _him_ to actually agree to this little impromptu visit of mine had been an entirely different matter all together. Not that I had expected him to be _happy_ to see me, or even let me spend some time with him, but the man had been exceedingly difficult to win over. And at first I didn't really understand why he had finally agreed to let me stay. I initially attributed this grand coup to my overwhelming, more than slightly obnoxious, persistence. But as I spent more time around my prickly little cactus, I began to wonder if it might have been just a little more than that.

Maybe he had been just a bit lonely and in need of some company...

Not that he would have _ever_ dared to admit this, mind you. Least of all to me. Whatever the reason had been, the clear and certain terms of my brief stay were swiftly negotiated.

Firstly, I was in no way to even dare to _think_ about considering the remote _possibility_ of trying to have sex with him. At all. Ever. And...honestly...I had to admit that I was filled with a level of guilt ridden humiliation and remorse over the fact that I had left him with this desperate version of myself when we had first met. So I agreed...and silently vowed to be on my absolute best behavior in an attempt to earn a level of redemption.

Secondly, I was only allowed to stay until the return of his roommate, upon which I would have to vacate the premises. Immediately. As this allowed me several days alone with my saboten, I had no problems agreeing to this term.

So, with these terms settled and agreed upon, I was promptly recruited into running various errands that I came to suspect he would have made his roommate do instead had the man been there.

Maybe he just wanted me out of the house to be alone from time to time during my visit...

...maybe he really couldn't manage leaving the apartment himself...

I don't know. Didn't much care. I was happy if it meant I got to stay and be with him.

His Pepsi now almost half gone, and the both of us having no further use of words as weapons to hurl at each other in passing, I watched as long, thin fingers tipped in glossy black nail polish traded the dwindling drink in favor of snatching up my lighter from the table.

Figures he'd want to use mine instead of his own...because I knew he had one, even though he claimed he didn't smoke. Maybe I had needed to clarify when I had brought it up, and he simply meant that he didn't smoke cigarettes. The man was really blunt and literal that way unless you dug a little deeper. But that was like pulling teeth with this guy. Though I had to admit a level of appreciation over the man's lack of verbal communication. He never seemed to use more words than absolutely necessary in order to get his point across...most of the time in the absolute _snarkiest_ way possible...or have his needs met. It was...functional. And direct. I liked that.

In a way I supposed that sometimes he reminded me a little of my best friend, Haru. Haru wasn't a big talker, either.

I watched those long slender fingers as he went about his daily business, completely oblivious to my presence now. I liked to think that this had more to do with his growing level of comfort around me...but he probably ignored everyone around him like this. Truth be told...I really didn't mind this from him all that much. I just wanted to be the piece of furniture in his weird life. As he fished out one of the pre-rolled Marijuana 'joints' he had made me go and get him, a devious, knowing little smile crept along my lips towards the inevitable impending show.

My own experimentation with pot had been...shall we say...less than ideal. The last time I had indulged, I ended up raiding Haru's fridge and binge eating everything in sight. _He_ had thought it was absolutely hilarious. _I_...on the other hand...had gotten violently sick after that and threw up everything I had just finished consuming. Like I said...less than ideal. But my man here on the other hand...?

Saboten was a different animal all together.

The man had an ever growing and expanding list of idiosyncrasies. And I'd had just enough time with him so far to discover a few of his dark secrets. His almost compulsive fixation with locking the doors. His affinity for the balcony just beyond the sliding door of his living room. His even deeper affinity for vodka and coffee...the man practically lived off those two things alone. His innate ability to walk without actually picking up his feet. His overt disdain for pretty much every living soul on planet earth. His inability, or unwillingness, to keep a clean home...honestly, the man's bedroom alone was a walking bio-hazard that made most teenagers' rooms seem immaculate. But as Saboten put the joint to his lips and set the thing on fire, releasing the first satisfied screen of smoke, I found that this latest discovered habit of his was my absolute favorite.

Because apparently...unlike me and the onset of uncontrollable binge eating... smoking weed made my man develop a hella craving for stripping himself bare ass naked.

* * *

 **A/N: I had originally created this just for fun, as an idea that had struck me while in the car on my vacation. But...I think this might have a bit more noble cause and dedication. To my dear friend, MoonlitAtMidnight (formerly known as TohruKyoYuki), congratulations on the celebration of a very special anniversary. For those reading this story, please go and read "Slave To Your Mentality."**

 **As for this story right here...this is a slightly hilarious, satirical continuation of my earlier story "Suicide Girl And Her Saboten" featuring MoonlitAtMidnight's original character, Kurumi, from their story "Mirror Mirror." They have once again graciously allowed me to borrow Kurumi for the continued torture of MY own original character, one Aden McCaffery. I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Notable mention, the line "I just wanted to be the piece of furniture in his weird life" was adapted from the movie Juno.**

 **With that, I hope you all enjoy this, and don't forget to review!**


	2. A Little Less Mean

**A/N: Just a warning, this chapter has a bit of language and possibly suggestive themes. Oh yeah...and a naked dude. It has that too. You've been warned.**

* * *

Seeing him take yet another...deeper...drag off the joint, I could already notice the almost imperceptible softening of his expression and the way those thick lashed fluttered under the effect. But I also knew it would take a hell of a lot more time for the main event to begin, so I sauntered myself barefoot towards the bag of goodies.

If the show was going to be a while...I needed something to drink.

Another sour look of disgust through a cloud of smoke over my Red Bull as he swiped the half empty soda from the table, and the man stalked off towards the living room without a word. Taking this as a sign to make myself comfortable and do whatever the hell I wanted, I sifted in my worn handbag for my other nasty vice as I pulled out the pack of cigarettes from my purse and claimed my lighter from the table that he'd carelessly tossed back after it had satisfied its purpose.

Trailing behind him with my energy drink and cigarettes, trying to play it cool and pretend that I wasn't _really_ following him around waiting for something to happen, I reveled in the quiet and peace of the moment. When I had first arrived to this place, I had gotten the feeling that my saboten was known in the apartment complex for making himself a bit of a nuisance. But being alone with him I was struck by how laid back the man was when left alone in his own environment. And I began to wonder if maybe it wasn't his roommate that was the real riffraff. Everything told me that Saboten preferred to keep to himself and was pretty quiet on his own. Like a crab. A freakin' crabby hermit crab.

...or maybe it was the two of them _together_ , and there was a side to Saboten that I would never get the chance to see...

Whatever the case might have been, I got the sneaking suspicion that the man and his absent roommate weren't exactly the favorite or best neighbors on the block, so to speak. As my bare feet carried me quietly through the house, my kaleidoscope gaze caught my man sitting hunched over on the couch, face in his phone as the joint dangled vicariously through thin lips. Discreetly straining and careening my head to see exactly what he was up to, I managed to catch a brief glimpse of the mans phone in the hopes of uncovering some sort of scandalous super secret text message conversation. When I saw numbers and what looked to be an online banking account on the screen a level of amused surprise struck me like a bolt of lighting, because I was now pretty sure the man had just settled himself in to pay his bills. The ironic hilarity of the situation hit me full force like a sledge hammer as I bit my lip to stifle and hide my laughter at the way the man had just decided to adult when simultaneously in the process of getting stoned.

Though...I kind of had to applaud the mans ability to multitask.

But I knew I had to do _something_ to preoccupy my mouth before the unfortunate happened and it got me into trouble. Real trouble. So I did the most immediate thing I could think of and laced my troublesome lips with the trusty cigarette fished from my pack of constant companions. Though, in hindsight, I really should have know better. Because like gravity, this silent action drew the dark brooding gaze of my surly saboten from his phone as the joint that had been dangling from his lips came delicately tucked between his thin fingers, loosing them for his impending chastisement.

"Mm-mn." This almost primal grunt of puffed breath came laced in smoke and the infinitesimal shake of the mans head. "Not in the house."

And I swear the cigarette almost slipped through my lips with the way my jaw fell slack in shock. Was this man for real? _Really_?! Snatching the cigarette from my lips before it met its demise, it took everything I had inside of me to keep from reeling against this blatant hypocrisy of not being allowed to smoke my cigarette.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" My voice rose an octave with the mounting anger of my righteous indignation.

"You heard me." The dangerous bristle of Saboten's deep voice resonated in the silence of the apartment. "Not. In my fucking. House." Each word send a slight tremor of fear and terror through my body as the seriousness of his tone and challenging arc of his brow left no room for further argument with him. "Out on the balcony. Now."

If I'd been smart, I would have known to just leave it at this and slink away in shame and defeat with my cigarette to the balcony where I had just been banished. And...I really should have done just that. But oh no. Not me. I was Fujioka Kurumi, and I was a force to be reckoned with. Though I may not have openly laughed in the face of danger, I had more than enough nerve to mock it behind its back. I was young and reckless. I was bold and daring. I was possibly more than slightly stupid. And I had been known to poke the proverbial bear with a stick a time or two.

Throwing on the cloak of adolescent invisibility with a smarmy grin, I met this lost battle with a satirically pithy parting shot as I made my way towards the sliding door to the balcony, offering the man a slightly condescending salute of my fingers.

"Aye aye, Captain Crabby Pants." I mocked sarcastically as I sauntered past the prickly cactus slouching on the couch, promptly earning myself the swift presentation of his middle finger as I stuck out my tongue in an equally immature show of retaliation.

From the many endless hours of American shows I had seen, and the countless times Saboten had wielded it to express his displeasure with me or something I did or said, I understood this insulting nonverbal gesture to be extremely crude and offensive. But I also knew from painful first hand experience that this was one of the _tamer_ responses I could have generated from him, so the few hits of Marijuana he'd already indulged in had done something to soothe the savage beast, so to speak.

Stepping myself through the threshold to the high-rise balcony to smoke my cigarette in peace, I spared a tender smile and parting glance upwards to the sign posted above the door.

 _'Only happy thoughts past this point!'_

I had to admit that I found this slightly reminiscent of the beloved children's tale 'Peter Pan.' It made me feel like I had somehow stumbled into a slightly darker, morbidly twisted version of Neverland where, for the days I was allowed to be here, I never had to grow up. And the best part was that the biggest child of all resided here with me. Forever a beautiful lost boy.

Lost...

Weren't we all, though?

Taking in the vastness of this beautiful city in a distant land far removed from all of my problems, I attempted to release my stress and anxiety. With each silent whisper of smoke, I pushed my troubles as far away from me as I could until my cigarette dwindled down to nothing. Gazing at the distant buildings of the skyline, I knew that nothing lasts forever, either good or bad. I also knew that this too, my precious time with Saboten, would pass. So I vowed to cherish every moment with him. The good. The not so good. And the absolutely ugly. I would take it all and embrace it with open arms.

Turning from the city skyline to enter back into the apartment, I was struck with the opening act I had been waiting for. Both of our smokes were now spent...and Saboten had just removed those colossal boots of his.

Excellent.

Things were moving along nicely.

Though the most difficult part of the process had been accomplished already, as the man was practically inseparable from those fierce leather studded boots, I decided that it couldn't hurt to help nudge things along. I had been told not to touch, sure...but the man had said _nothing_ about looking. And I planned on getting an eyeful while I could. Sue me, but just because I had sworn to staunchly adhere to the mans 'no sex' rule didn't mean that I wasn't allowed to appreciate this modern day Adonis in his natural habitat. And appreciate him I would, _especially_ when he decided to strip himself down and strut around in the buff.

So with an almost desperate hunger and a mission, I nonchalantly made my way past him and the myriad of empty bottles of alcoholic beverages the two of us had already consumed throughout the three days I'd been here. On my way to the kitchen in order to search the man's fridge for the ever-present reserves of alcohol, I began to formulate a plot. But I had to think this through carefully. Be smart about it. If I offered him a drink outright, he would instantly suspect that I had other, nefarious motives. Which I did...but that was besides the point. So I figured if I got a beverage for myself _and_ him he would assume the gesture was more of an afterthought than anything else.

And...to be completely honestly...a beer didn't sound all that bad right about now anyway.

But before I even had a chance to implement my flawless plan of action, the harsh abrasive ring tone of Saboten's cellphone went off, halting me in my tracks. Swiveling around to see what would happen, I watched as the man glanced at the number before letting out a disgruntled curse of displeasure.

"Der'mo." The man's wicked tongue slipped into insults I couldn't understand before his black-tipped finger glided across the screen of his phone to answer the call.

Strange... He usually _never_ answered his calls, conducting most of his conversations through texting or not at all, so this action immediately peaked my interest. As the phone drifted to his ear I decided to drift just a little closer in order to listen in.

"...Gabe..." The familiar name of Saboten's absent roommate gave me pause.

...hadn't they spoken on the phone just the other day...?

"Why are you calling me...?" The deep rumble of this question came with the furrow of Saboten's brow. "I talked to you yesterday." And I had to cover my mouth at this to capture the light giggle that had unintentionally loosed itself from my lips as I continued to be a third party observer to this one-sided conversation. "I'm fine." This deadpanned response to the question asked on the other end of the receiver was blunt and monotone at best. "Yeah, I know." The man quipped as he began to stand from the sofa, making his way to the balcony to continue this conversation. "That's because when you asked me _yesterday_ , I was fine." I heard him mutter through a level of pot induced apathy wrapped in underlying irritation as he made his way to the sliding door. "And today, I'm _fine._ "

As he stepped through the threshold I quietly stalked over on my tiptoes to where he had just been sitting in order to slip my feet into his favorite pair of boots. This small victory in having claimed the coveted boots for myself caused a helpless grin to lace my lips. A victory that was short lived as the harsh, violent click of a fingersnap drew my attention to a hostel chocolate gaze, the man's expression contorted in a scowl as he gave the gestural command of his index finger for me to sit my ass down and stay out of trouble.

Sinking myself to the couch in defeat as he stalked by in irritation, I watched Saboten pace the house conducting this conversation before slipping away into the kitchen. Exactly where _I_ had been planning to go only moments before. Still...through the distance that separated us...I could hear his voice. And it sounded like, even while being under the influence, Saboten's roommate was still able to irritate the man. I had no idea what was being said...but whatever it was, it was completely setting my man off into another tizzy. And I didn't know whether to laugh or become slightly protective over my prickly little cactus. I had to admit that I didn't particularly appreciate him being antagonized.

That was, of course, unless _I_ was the antagonist.

I heard the bristling hostility in his voice as he made his way through the kitchen with that infamous foot shuffle. Honestly, I don't know how the man did it, let alone pulled off making it look even half way decent. Anyone else doing that shuffle of his would have just looked like a complete idiot who couldn't walk right. As if speaking of the Devil himself to make him manifest, Saboten shuffled himself out of the kitchen and I simply couldn't help the smile that laced my lips at his reappearance. Because while in the kitchen, the guy had somehow inexplicably managed to ' _lose_ ' the tight black sleeveless tanktop he'd been wearing only moments before. And I had to smother an unintentional giggle at the thought that I really had _no_ idea how the guy managed to pull off a daily outfit when all of his clothing tended to be in completely separate parts of his house.

Completely enthralled and taken in by the art-deco that adorned his pallid skin, I hadn't actually noticed the quiet lull in Saboten's conversation. Not until he stood himself right in front of me, his looming presence silently commanding my gaze upwards to his face and that almost frighteningly blank expression. The man's wicked poker face gave nothing away of what he wanted from me, but I knew that he was waiting for me to do _something_ or else he wouldn't have bothered getting my attention. I felt myself becoming more than a little unnerved under his dark brooding stare before his hand drew my eyes with the quiet, subtle offering of a drink. Setting the one meant for himself down on the small end table before pilfering my lighter without asking...again...he silently shuffled away to continue his conversation with some more weed. And I gave a slight smirk to the fact that _he_ had been the one to get _me_ something to drink.

Go figure.

...now...with my vast experience in the department of men offering me alcoholic beverages, usually this meant that the guy was attempting to get me drunk and get into my pants. This, however, was not Saboten.

Sadly...

One might then assume that, this being his home and I his esteemed guest, that the man was merely acting the part of a gracious host in offering me said beverage. A token gesture of hospitality. But...this really wasn't Saboten's style either. He wasn't really the hosting type.

No...that wasn't my prickly little Saboten at all. Not him. I knew him well enough by now to venture an educated guess that he had offered me the beer in order to keep me quiet and make me shut the hell up while he was talking on the phone.

Nuisance control... _that's_ what this gifted beverage _really_ was. Like giving an infant a warm bottle to keep them from becoming fussy and obnoxious. The man viewed me as an immature, obnoxiously noisy, attention seeking baby. _That's_ why he'd given me alcohol. And...I _would_ have been offended.

But...I really liked beer.

I watched as the man vicariously pinched the phone between his shoulder and the aggressively shaved side of his head, pressing it to his ear in order to free his hands. A slow, methodical sigh parted thin lips as a hand cupped long, thin, fingers over the joint as he lit it. He took a slow drag before exhaling a breath of smoke, holding the joint delicately poised between his fingers as he reengaged the one sided conversation.

"What am I doing right now?" This question came in a soft murmur, the harsher sting of Saboten's violent hostility coming stifled and somewhat blunted. "Practicing self care." And his perfectly serious, straight faced delivery of this snarky comeback was beyond hilarious.

I quickly drew the bottle to my lips in order to mask the laughter threatening to crawl its way up my throat, swallowing it down with the heady beverage I'd been given. Even heavily medicated, the man was able to effectively wield the sharp blade of bitter sarcasm. And damn...it was sexy.

"Fuckin' Pilates." The man quipped through the slight stumble of his speech as he drifted further under the influence of being stoned. "Eblan..." This curse came puffed through a delicate cloud of smoke. "The fuck you _think_ I'm doing?" He deadpanned this rhetorical question before letting loose with the strangest little snort of smoke and what seemed to be amusement at something his roommate had just said.

I had to admit that it was a little refreshing to see a slightly lighter side to Saboten, because I imagined that there weren't many who could coax this out of him. And I doubted that he had very many friends like that, leaving me with a level of disappointment that I wasn't allowed to meet his roommate. Anyone that could cause my little saboten to snort the close approximation of a laugh had to be pretty awesome. But before I could be completely immersed in this saddening thought, I felt my mood begin to lift with the sudden development unfolding right before my ogling eyes. And ogle I did...because my man once again poised the phone between his ear and shoulder, having vicariously laced his lips with the weed he was smoking in order to free his hands as they absentmindedly drifted to the thick leather studded belt wrapping his narrow waits. This was the moment of truth. Those faded dark blue denim jeans...

Would they stay?

Would they go?

As if purposely teasing me just for the hell of it, black-tipped fingers drifted away from the belt. The man began to slowly pace his home again...almost aimlessly...like a contented lion on a warm sunny day in Africa before thin fingers once again reached for his belt. And, as if without a conscious thought or care to his audience, the pants finally slipped from his waist to the floor as he just continued on his pacing, stepping right through and over them. I found myself marveling in delight at the fact that today Saboten had decided to forgo underwear when he had dressed himself this morning. Or maybe the man had just completely forgotten to put them on...

Either way, the fact remained that my man was now _completely_ naked, and I loved it.

Sipping on my drink, taking it all in from the sidelines as he continued his conversation down the hall towards his room, you'd think that this would have been a bigger deal. Honestly. Him being naked. Me watching from his living room. But...this wasn't exactly the first time something like this had happened in the three days I'd been here. And I really hoped it wouldn't be the last.

As I continued to listen to the soothing, almost benign, sound of his muffled conversion on the phone I began to drift through my own soft, comforting haze of warm liquor and random thoughts. Like...had his roommate ever seen him do anything like this before? And what about other women that happened to drift through his life...? Had they been offered this glimpse of him, like I had? I couldn't imagine that I was all _that_ special...

...but...I wondered about that...

Why me?

"...okay..." The softer murmur of the mans voice drew me out of my thoughts, alerting me that he'd wandered back into the room. "Just call me when you're at the airport in a couple of days. I'll come pick you up." He mumbled through another drag, preparing to end the conversation on a relatively civil note. "And tell Dezy I said hi." This came so softly murmured from his lips that it almost sounded tender.

And I expected the conversation to end at this, but the small pause never followed the conclusion I had anticipated. Instead, the man's brow furrowed lightly underneath the apathetic blankness of his expression before the unfinished joint once again came poised between his fingers as he spoke.

"No. That's okay." He whispered lightly with the small shake of his head. "I don't want to talk to her right now." And the scowl along his face deepened as his lips drew into a taut line. "I said no." I heard him mutter again, the agitation beginning to bubble up back again before finally forcing itself through the cage of his drug induced apathy. " _Dammit_ Gabe!" He shouted in a petulant snarl of a growl. " _No_ means _no_!"

I became a silent, helpless witness to the man's childish tantrum, his naked body infinitesimally curled and hunched in on itself as if the man was attempting to hold himself together in order to avoid physically exploding. And with the animalistic, guttural growl of a groan in repressed rage I had half expected the phone to meet its untimely demise. But before it could be wielded as a lethal projectile and launched across the room I watched the man suddenly right and recover himself, his voice coming weak and breathy from the insurmountable energy it had taken to stuff down his rage.

"Hi Desireé." The palm of his hand that delicately grasped the joint came to rub itself along his eye in a show of exhaustion, the movement coming a small mixture of clumsy and graceful as he continued to talk to the new disembodied voice on the other end of the phone.

...exactly how many women did this guy have lined up hopelessly pining for him...?

"Yeah...I'm okay." His voice came so very small and quiet as he spoke. "Sorry I didn't make it out to see you." I heard him murmur, his tone coming despondent. "I had meant to." He uttered this softly, the smoke poised between his thin fingers momentarily forgotten in his growing sorrow. "But..." This came in a breathless whisper. "...I just couldn't make it out of the house this time." These words followed the softest brush of his hand along the back of his head down his neck as he cast his chocolate gaze to the floor, listening to words I couldn't hear before the light ghosting of a smile laced his lips.

...gone before it had a chance to fully form along his sullen features...

"Yeah, I got the I-Pod you sent." He spoke softly before taking another hit of the weed between his fingers, letting out a sad sigh of smoke. "It was really nice." This came as thanks without the words actually haven been spoken before his palled expression smoothed over as he continued to speak. "But Gabe got a hold of it and put a bunch of country music on it, and I don't know how to take the songs off my playlist." And I _swear_ the man actually smiled at the idea of having thrown his roommate under the bus with this woman.

Well...the closest thing to a smile as Saboten could manage. And though something about it seemed so wrong and off, I couldn't deny that his smile was beautiful in its own way.

"Yeah." He gave another small nod of the head in response to a voiceless question. "I'll try to make it out and see you on Thanksgiving." He murmured quietly, his voice growing subtly softer. "Alright. I'll talk to you later, then." I saw the infinitesimal flutter of his lashes in a mix of repressed emotion before he whispered. "...love you too..." And like that, the conversation was over and all tender emotion was gone and washed away by blank nothingness as he shuffled towards the couch where I sat in silence.

"Feet. Out of my boots. Now." This caveman like grunt of a command came candid and direct, but lacked the venom's sting of his typical rage as I slipped my feet out of his beloved boots and shifted over to the next cushion for him to sit where I had been.

It finally struck me as the man stuffed his feet into the boots and sunk his naked body onto the couch that after smoking a fair amount of weed Saboten always seemed to be less on edge and a little less hostile. A little less mean. But...I also noticed that his disgruntled rage and aggression would inevitably wash away and morph into something just a bit sadder. More forlorn and sullen. He seemed to become just a little more despondent.

And it made me sad.

Lightly tossing his poor abused phone haphazardly on the small side table, his hand traded the device for the drink that had been waiting for him. Lacing his lips with the half spent smoke to free his fingers to open the bottle I finally decided to brake the silence in hopes of lifting him from his sad thoughts.

"Desireé...?" I asked in a playfully suggestive tone with the raise of my eyebrow and drink to my lips as the man gave a caustic snort to my underlying question.

"Gabe's mom..." This answer came in a sigh of smoke, taking me aback for a moment.

...his roommate's mother...?

"So...you don't like talking to her?" I asked, a little confused as he gave the small shake of his head.

"No." He murmured lightly in response, his gaze staring at the ground below him. "She's a great lady."

"Then what's the problem?" I questioned just as softly.

"She likes me." This response was blunt and to the point, and I suddenly felt just a bit uncomfortable.

"...like...in a _creepy_ way?" I asked, and yet again the man shook his head lightly as a small puff of smoke escaped him before he handed what was left of the joint to me, and I accepted graciously, not minding the man's leftovers.

"No." He whispered, dispersing the small screen of smoke with the breath he had produced. "Like Gabe, actually." He chased this thought with a swallow of alcohol as my brows furrowed in a level of confusion over why this maternal affection seemed to bother him.

"...and...?" I coaxed quietly through a level of growing bemusement over this rare insight into Saboten's head.

"And I don't understand _why_ she likes me." His sullen, almost baffled voice spanned the distance between us, and I took a moment to consider this myself, sucking on the joint he had given to me as I reveled in the muggy, earthy high.

"Come on, Cactus Man." A sigh of smoke pushed through my button nose at my call-sign for him. "You're not _that_ unbearable." I chuckled out in an attempt to alleviate some of his sorrow and lift his spirits, gently nudging him on the shoulder. "What's _not_ to like?" I gave a small smirk, and to my surprised this seemed to work as he gave a light snort and nod of acceptance, followed by another sip of his drink.

Finding myself in the odd moment of just being _with_ him...without actually _being_ with him...it was astounding to me how good it felt. Though unquestionably weird...as the man was sitting right next to me completely bare ass naked and we _weren't_ doing it...it was comfortable. And I wondered if _this_ was what love was suppose to feel like. Then I remembered. I didn't really believe in that sort of thing anymore.

...love...

But this feeling somehow emboldened me. Allowed me to feel more like myself around him. As screwed up as I was, I didn't think he minded so much. So armed with this new found fearlessness and a morbid sense of curiously, softly spoken words slipped through my lips in a puff of smoke.

"So what about your parents, Saboten?" I asked quietly. "You ever get around to seeing them?" I murmured lightly as I considered this further. "I bet they'd like to see you as much as Desireé does." Before I even knew what had happened, or what I had done, the subtle shift in the couch cushion drew my gaze to his nakedness once more as he angrily stalked down the hall in those thick combat boots before entering his room and violently slamming the door behind him without a single word to me.

And I was left alone beside myself in the wake of his silence and rage, feeling a bit confused as to what I had just done. I stared at his bedroom door, waiting for him to come back out before a small sigh of smoke and agitation forced its way through my nose.

"Well that escalated quickly..."

* * *

 **A/N: Super special shout out to SweetLiars. I was in a pickle, and needed to call out for help. SweeLiars was the wonderful person who came up with the name of Gabe's Mom, Desireé. For this, I am eternally grateful. Thank you to all of those supporting and reviewing this short. And stay tuned for the climactic ending!**


	3. And A Little More Naked

_It's all fun and games till someone loses their freaking mind_

 _..._

"Come on, Saboten." My voice quavered in restrained concern. "Open the door." I spoke as evenly as I could manage through the solid barrier before me. "This isn't funny anymore."

And...it really wasn't.

Though I stayed calm and collected, in reality I was terrified. Because in the span of an hour and twenty three minutes, I had gone from 'house guest' to 'hostage negotiator.' And I had no idea how that had even happened. One minute we had been talking, relatively calmly might I add, to each other. Then the next... The next, he had just _left_ me. And I _knew_ he had been angry when he left. He had made that clear when he slammed the door.

What made it worse, was that he had taken the bottle of hard liquor with him into the dark, dank, unholy recesses of his bedroom. Now I found myself trying to coax the man out of his bat cave because I was beginning to worry about his safety...as well as my own. And I _swear_! It was like trying to talk down a foul mouthed, belligerent, _very_ large, _very_ angry, potentially violent and now _possibly_ drunk... _two_ year old.

Impossible.

It was...impossible.

 _He_...was being impossible.

And it was all so _stupid_ because I didn't even know what I had done. Nothing! I hadn't done a _thing_! He was being so cruel and unfair, because I hadn't done anything to deserve this anger from him. The screaming and yelling at me through his door...when he knew full well I was worried about him. The profanity he hurled at me, not to mention the bottle that had followed. Shattered against his side of the door, thrown to make me back down. Make me back away. And the names... The terrible names. Some I understood. Some I knew I didn't want to, they were probably that awful. Honestly, sometimes my man was more hormonal than a raging teenage girl riding the crimson wave. And the worst part was that...if I actually _knew_ what I had said or done to make him so angry...I would have swallowed my pride a while ago and apologized if it would have meant him leaving his room.

"Please..." I murmured through the silence that met me now. "...just come out..." My voice lilted softly through the door in hopes of luring him out.

...it hadn't worked...

So I decided to change tactics. Meet silence with kindness. He was clearly upset or hurt about something... So maybe if I got personal with him, he would start talking to me. Come out, maybe... So placing my hand along the door, bracing myself to rest my forehead along its unforgiving surface, I got as close to him as he would allow through this barrier he had risen between us. Working to make my voice as soft and calm as I could, I felt that maybe now wasn't really the time to be meeting his infantile petulance with my own normally immature and abrasive snarkiness. This clearly wasn't working for _either_ of us at this point, so maybe if I were softer and dialed it down just a notch, it might just comfort him enough to use his words. Tell me what was wrong.

"...Aden..." I whispered his name...the first time I had ever spoke it to him since knowing him...

 **WHAM!**

The sudden, terrifying sound of something violently slammed against the door right where my face had been resting caused me to startle back in fear as the door trembled in response. And the lack of ricochet to the floor or the sound of the unidentifiable projectile becoming damaged led me to believe that _this_ time he had actually used his own fist to punish the door. Right about where my voice had given my face away on the other side.

And I was left in the wake of the horrifying unknown of what might have happened had the door not been in between us to absorb the blow...

...would he have really hit me...?

I had never been afraid. Not of him, anyway. Never. Not even once. Until _right_ now. I suddenly felt as if I was on a ship...and baby...we were going down. And I didn't know what to do. Through this whole ordeal I had even tried to contact Saboten's roommate, seeing if maybe the man could talk some sense into him. Talk him down. But Cactus Man _would_ have to have his phone password protected. And I wasn't about to ask him what it was.

I may not have been all that bright...but I knew that I wanted to live.

But before I even had a chance to recover from my adrenaline laced fear, a harsh, deep scream of foreign profanity immediately and almost simultaneously followed the man's assault to the door.

"Piz`da, po'shyol 'na hui!"

Tears began to brim along my lashes, and I was completely helpless to stop them. So many different emotions flooded me. All at once. And I was helpless against them. I was helpless... And scared. _Really_ scared. Immobilized by my fear, staring at that door and the terrifying danger that lurked just beyond it, I tried my best to stifle my emotions long enough to formulate a coherent thought. A plan. I just needed to breath...and think.

And then it hit me like a flash. An intense, electric bolt of lighting. The skit of an American stand-up comedian. Haru had made me watch it, and I had nearly peed myself laughing. Though, in my defense, I'd already had two energy drinks prior to him sitting me down in front of his computer. But the man's hysterical monologue about being held hostage by a stark raving lunatic inside of an elevator suddenly gave me an idea of sorts. Though my current situation wasn't _exactly_ the same scenario, nor was it at all in the least bit funny, I had to admit that the general premise and concept of the comedian's performance seemed to apply.

...and this is where my harebrained plan came into effect...

 _'Okay... If I act_ _ **more**_ _upset than him...that'll kind of defuse the whole situation...'_

It was _just_ crazy enough to possibly work. Maybe. I hoped. And really...I had nothing to lose.

Arming myself with the comedian's words of wisdom, I figured that all I _really_ had to do was present myself as only _'slightly'_ more crazy than the terrorist barricaded in his room. I could do this. Because if there was one thing I happened to excel at, it was making a complete and utter spectacle of myself.

 _'Okay Kurumi...you got this, girl.'_ I gave myself a mental pep talk. _'Here goes nothing.'_ A fragile, shuddered breath moved through my trembling body in order to steady myself. _'Game face.'_ With this, I set my expression into an angered scowl as I closed the small gap between myself and the bedroom door, slamming it with the open palm of my hand hard enough to cause it to shake infinitesimally from its hinges.

In order to end this dangerous standoff, I needed to hit back.

And I needed to hit back hard...right where it hurt him most.

"That's it!" I screamed at the door, loud enough that I'm sure the whole apartment complex could hear me...though I was pretty certain they had already noticed Saboten's rampage by now. "You want to act this way?!" My voice came a terrifying shriek as I drew deep from reserves of strength I didn't even know I had.

...or maybe that was just my infinite supply of stupidity that was coming through to help me now...

"Well two can play this game!" I wailed to the door in challenge before making a show of stomping off to the kitchen.

Quickly rummaging through the man's fridge with trembling fingers, I went about arming myself for the ensuing battle. My heart pounded in my chest so fast and furiously that I could barely hear anything at all through its feverish and erratic beat. As I made my way back to the bedroom door, I found that I had to bolster myself all over again. I needed this to work. I needed him out of the bedroom where he was doing who knew what to himself, leaving me utterly alone. Another breath to steady myself and strengthen my resolve, I heard the weaker prayer of a whispered thought in the silence just before the storm.

 _'...I_ _ **really**_ _hope this works...'_

"If you don't come out, _right_ _now_..!" I bellowed loudly through the door to my audience on the other side. "I _swear_!" This threat came hot and searing through my snarled lips. "I'm going to drink _all_ of your vodka!" I screamed, clutching one of the many bottles that had been in the mans fridge. "And I'm going to smoke _all_ of your pot!" These threats continued to pour from my mouth with all of the rage I could muster. "You will have _no_ vodka! And _no_ pot!" This unsavory consequence settled itself along the strained moment as I gave a fleeting pause for the man to consider this outcome. "And then I'll eat _all_ of your food and throw it all back up!" I threw out this disgusting detail, like hurling the kitchen sink, because I had used absolutely everything else...and had nothing left to threaten him with.

And then...I prayed.

I prayed that this would actually work.

I prayed that Saboten would leave the confines of his room so that I could make sure that he was okay.

I prayed that he wouldn't call me on my bluff and actually make me follow through on my threat...

Because...the thought of ingesting hard liquor and going on a pot induced food binge that would inevitably end in uncontrollable vomiting didn't appeal to me.

Putting the lip of the bottle to my own, I took a hard swallow to make good on my threat against Saboten's drink of choice. Though, if I was truly honest with myself, it was probably just as much to bolster my waning courage as anything else. I reveled in the rush of warmth and the softening of my anxiety before the swift jerk of the bedroom door startled me out of my slightly inebriated stupor. And I instinctively cringed away, staggering back as Saboten quickly stalked forward after me through the threshold of the bedroom into the hallway to corner me against the opposing wall.

My back came pressed against the unforgiving surface behind me as he loomed menacingly over me. Caged in place as he braced himself with his hands against the wall on either side of me, leaning himself in, I tried so hard not to cower in fear of him. But I found that I couldn't even force myself to look at him, choosing instead to focus on the death grip I had on the vodka bottle in my hand. The sound of his breathing mixing and mingling with my own as he drew closer. His smell as its heady aroma infiltrated and overwhelmed my senses. The warmth of his breath along my cheek as I heard his voice manifest in a lowly whispered hiss of restrained rage.

"...give it to me..."

I felt the sudden, embarrassing rush of heat to my face in response to this highly suggestive...more than slightly naughty...demand. One I _knew_ that had a completely different meaning than how it sounded. But that didn't stop my breath from coming in shallow gasps. And I hated how my own flesh betrayed me now. Hated how it had so shamefully given me away in my simultaneous fear and longing of him. How was it that he could be so intoxicatingly arousing while scaring the holy living crap out of me?

...it wasn't fair...

"...give me the bottle..." I heard him hiss this demand in my ear again in a rush of hot breath as I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my face away as I bit my lip to keep from smiling out of fear.

"Mm-mn." I shook my head, holding fast to the bottle. "Apologize first." My voice came in a soft whimper.

He owed me that much.

"Give me...the vodka." His voice grew a little deeper, his words slow and dangerously creeping through my mind. "Now." This came closer to a feral growl than a verbal demand.

And again, I shook my head in defiance. Unwilling to bend and cave, I didn't want to reward him for his poor behavior.

"No." I murmured, finally risking a glance as my kaleidoscope gaze flitted up through my lashes to meet smoldering chocolate eyes that seemed to grow darker as they bordered on black. "Say you're sorry." These words came firm and unwavering as I stared bravely at the man before me, holding his dark brooding gaze in a silent standoff.

"Give me the bottle!" This came aggressively snarled in my ear from his lips as his fist pounded the wall near my head.

And it was all I could do to keep my legs from liquefying and completely giving out on me. But a small part of me knew that if he had really meant to hurt me, the man could have easily done it by now. He was larger and significantly stronger than I was. If he really wanted to overpower and harm me I wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop him. To protect myself. But everything he was doing...had been doing...was merely a grand show. A bluff. Posturing aggression in order to force me to back down and give him what he wanted. Right now, he was simply bullying me. But...I had no doubt that if he were pushed any further he _would_ act out violently to get his point across.

The silent weight of warm breath in my ear. The sound of my heart pounding in my head. The intensity of his body heat as it poured and radiated off his bare flesh. The unsteady footing my legs claimed as they fought to keep me from sliding to the floor beneath me. The slow passage of time as it seemed to crawl along in sheer agony like a mortally wounded animal.

All of this was violently washed away with the solid, deafening knock at the door as I flinched in a startle reflex.

Like a bubble being burst, our heated argument and all of tension that had followed seemed to crumble away with the swift jerk of my head to this sudden intrusion. Without skipping a beat, Saboten utilized this distraction to his advantage as the vodka bottle was easily plucked for my fingers. Before I even had a change to tighten my grip the bottle was gone as he stalked his lean, muscular, nude figure over into the living room. And I couldn't believe that he had gotten away with the prize without having apologized for the way he had treated me. My mouth gaped open for a moment towards this revelation before puffing my cheeks in agitation as I let loose with a disgruntled breath.

"Hey!" I squeaked angrily, scowling at the back of his head. "No fair!" I quickly followed behind him, secretly grateful that he hadn't retreated back into his room with the bottle.

Another thunderous knock of announcement at the door sent me into slight panic as I began to realize that our little dispute had probably drawn the type of attention neither one of us had been looking for tonight. But my anxiety swiftly shifted to bemused irritation as I watched Saboten slump himself down on the couch as his free hand claimed his phone, the other grasping the bottle. Raising the poison to his thin...perfect lips.

And yet another knock thundered through the now otherwise peaceful apartment.

"Aren't you going to get that?" My scowl deepened as Saboten spared me a glance that told me he wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort, having made himself perfectly comfortable on the sofa. "Fine..." I grumbled, stalking my petite frame to the door as he turned his attention back to the phone in his hand. "By all means, then..." My voice came irked and laced in bitter sarcasm. "...don't trouble yourself and get up. Let me get that for you." Another knock heralded the persistent presence on the other side. "I've done everything _else_ around here... No big deal." I hurled this last complaint over my shoulder, though I had to admit that...given the current situation...it was probably best that I answered the door anyway.

Dramatically flinging the door open at having been put upon and disturbed, disgruntled words left my mouth without having even registered who was waiting on the other side.

"What do you want?!" I almost snarled before the rest of my words were swallowed in a deeply embarrassed squeak. "...officer...?"

...oh boy...

"Miss..." The police officer at the door murmured lowly, his authoritative tone washing away my snarky theatrics. "We were called for a report of domestic disturbance." His voice was calm and measured as his gaze slowly drifted past me into the apartment...and directly into the living room where Saboten had reclined himself. "Is...everything okay?"

And my kaleidoscope gaze slowly followed the police officer's pointed stare as we both looked upon the man in question. But Saboten played it super cool, or didn't even realize that we were gawking, as he continued to slouch back along the sofa, phone firmly grasped in his palm as the arm of his free hand came draped along the back of the couch. And his pale milky crème thighs came crossed at the knee, covering his shame as I once again felt that insane ache for his body. A need that relentlessly screamed at me as I bared witness to his naked profile, wanting him all over again in the absolute dirtiest way possible.

But the obtrusive noise of the police officer clearing his throat caused my gaze to snap back to the situation at hand as my cheeks once again burned with awful embarrassment. And I began to wonder exactly how bad this situation really looked...

Pretty bad, I guessed...judging by the look on the officer's face as he stared at me.

"...Miss...?" His gaze narrowed on me seriously, expressing concern that he didn't want to verbalize in front of the oblivious man on the couch.

"We're doing just great, officer." I spread a fake, cheesy grin along my lips with the delivery of this lie. "Right, baby?" I called out to Saboten, risking a glance over my shoulder to see if he was glaring at me for this. "Wave to the nice officer..." I coaxed sardonically through my strained smile, watching as Saboten just barely lifted his free hand from the back of the sofa in order to waggle his black-tipped fingers in silent greeting to the man at his door...without so much as even a glance in our direction.

I had to admit that the man had made an art-form of the 'here but not here' persona.

"Hm." Was the only dubious grunt of a response to my answer before the officer's gaze drifted back to the naked man inside of the apartment. "Aden..." I came almost floored as the policeman addressed Saboten by name.

"Officer Davison..." Came this murmured acknowledgment from my saboten.

What the hell?! How often did these guys get the cops called on them, anyway?!

"Haven't we warned you about adhering to the noise ordinance in this complex before?" The officer asked, his tone calm and professional in the face this outlandish scene before him.

"Yep." Saboten drawled in a slow deadpanned from his place on the couch.

"Gabe here?" The officer asked, only furthering my bemusement as my man gave a small shake of the head, continuing to stare at his phone.

"...nope..." Came another one word response drawled from his thin lips. "...out of town..."

"Visiting Desireé?" The policeman questioned casually with an air of familiarity, earning a small nod of concession from the strangely cooperative and respectful little cactus as I stood in awe of the benign normalcy of this scene unfolding before my very eyes.

"Mmhm." Saboten murmured lightly.

"Am I going to have any more trouble from you if I leave now?" The officer asked pointedly, and a small pause of silence filled the space as Saboten seemed to give this question genuine and honest consideration, still staring into his phone.

"No." This came breathed through his lips and the infinitesimal shake of his head. "Too damn tired." And I watched the officer give an almost kindly smile of amusement to this.

"Well..." The officer sighed with the lateness of the hour and lack of a present crisis. "...since things seem to be okay here, I'm not going to give you a citation for Domestic Disturbance." The man murmured calmly before taking out the intimidating looking pad from his pocket as he grasped a pen with his free fingers. "But I _am_ going to have to ticket you for Disturbing The Peace." And I visibly cringed with the sound of the piece of paper separating from the pad as the officer handed me the fine with a light smile.

"Sorry to have bothered you, Miss." The officer addressed me again cordially with a polite nod. "You two..." He gave a brief pause, eyeing me as the amused smile tugged just a little further along his lips. "...have a nice evening." And I flushed red all over again in embarrassment, puffing my cheeks.

"Okay. Bye bye, then." I spat, following this with the swift closing of the door, almost right in the officer's face had he not quickly backed out of the threshold.

Leaning against the door for support, I let out a shaky breath. If the events of this night were actually a regular and frequent occurrence, I really had no idea how Saboten was even alive. The lack of structure and seemingly endless supply of drugs and alcohol I could live with. But the constant roller coaster of my emotions had left me completely dazed, exhausted, and weak beyond belief.

...or maybe that was just the pot and alcohol talking...

Pushing my frame from the door's support, I slowly made my way to where Saboten was before the quiet call of his voice drew me from my emotionally drained stupor.

"Hey..." My kaleidoscope gaze lifted from the ground as my eyes met his.

And for a moment, it seemed like he actually saw me. For the first time since being here, he was actually _seeing_ me...and not just looking at me with disregard or worse yet, disdain. And the whole of his intense chocolate gaze caused a helpless shudder to ravage my body.

I began to wonder a few things as he was gazing at me that way. It felt as if he wanted to tell me something. This home had been lacking in so many words left unsaid. Maybe...he wanted to tell me something important, because I couldn't imagine him speaking for the sake of hearing his own voice.

Maybe tonight would be the night...

Maybe that rich chocolate gaze was finally expressing that he was ready to give something I had wanted from him since the night I had first laid my eyes on him. Maybe tonight would be the night where he was willing to let down his walls and let me in. To remove this impenetrable barrier between us.

...would tonight finally be ' _the_ night'...?

I found it simply astounding that, with as many men as I had been with, underneath Saboten's smoldering gaze I felt a little nervous. Tingly. And just a bit excited. Drifting myself a little closer to him as my stomach began to do dizzying somersaults, I approached with a level of cautious trepidation.

"...yeah...?" My voice quavered along a breathless whisper as I unintentionally licked my lips with the flutter of my lashes.

"I need you to do something for me..." His tone came sultry through that dark gaze of his as he graced me with the unusual sight of his complete attention. "...like... _right_ now..." The urgency of this statement was intensified with the slight furrow of his brow.

"... _yeah_..?" I almost moaned, hating myself for how he made me feel inside as my breath came in short gasps.

"Go find out what's left in the grocery bag."

And I swear...my jaw hit the freaking floor.

"What...?" I shuddered idiotically, my head now reeling from the roller coaster I'd just been thrown on.

Again.

"Get me something from the bag." He deadpanned a little more seriously, as if I was making this into a bigger deal than it needed to be.

"Why don't you get it yourself?!" I spat angrily, scowling petulantly at him after all he had just put me through.

"Just go look in the bag." He growled towards my non-compliance as I gave an exasperated huff.

Spinning on the balls of my feet, armed with my directive and a healthy dose of 'screw you' mentality, I headed towards the kitchen with the blatantly snarky slap of my own ass to express my overjoyed thrill at being order around like his personal wench. Honestly...the man didn't need a roommate. Or a girlfriend, even, for that matter. What the man was in dire need of was a freaking nanny. And apparently tonight I fit the bill to play the part.

Stepping into the kitchen, an expression of mild disgust shaped my features at the scene that greeted me. The man's kitchen was absolutely filthy. I gave myself over to an exasperated sigh before raising my voice only _just_ loud enough so I _knew_ that he would be able to hear me as I avoided drawing any more attention this evening.

"I find your lack of cleanliness disturbing." I grumbled from over my shoulder.

"If my mess bothers you _that_ much, then by all means..." I heard him murmur darkly. "...go ahead and fuckin' clean it up." He quipped just as sardonically, causing a petulant snort towards his overt and crude form of sassing me.

"Whatever..." I retorted in a low grumble, finally making my way to the bag as I gave it a brief once over before calling over my shoulder.

"All we have left is candy." I responded, almost professionally as I gave a tally of what spoils were left in the goody bag...only to finally register the look of disdain thrown in my direction.

"Is that _all_ you bought?" I heard him question accusingly from the living room as I gave a small nod, causing the irritated, almost baffled furrow of his brow to deepen.

"How old _are_ you?" He spat as I scowled right back at him.

"What?!" I huffed from the kitchen, as if _he_ had any right to judge _my_ level of maturity. "You told me to go shopping!"

"Yeah." Saboten gave a straight-faced deadpan with the quirk of his brow through those electric blue bangs. "I meant for _food_." He quipped, that sour expression still lingering along his palled features.

"You don't like what I got you? Then get your pasty white butt off that couch and go shop for yourself next time." I snapped, grabbing a piece of candy from the bag, popping it in my mouth to stave off crueler words with its sugary sweetness. "Some sun and vitamin D might actually do you some good, Vampire Boy." I retorted through the piece of candy in my mouth. "And it wouldn't hurt you to get out around other people." A snide smirk laced my lips along the sugar in my mouth and myriad of thoughts running through my mind. "But that would actually require you being able to play nice with the other children."

"Fuck the other children." This pithy comeback caused a small snort of amusement to push through my button nose as I gazed into the bag once more.

...like I said... The man held an unshakable contempt for pretty much everyone.

"So what do you want, Cactus Man?" I asked, rummaging through the bag in order to fill his request.

"Just bring the whole bag here." I heard him murmur calmly, gazing at him over my shoulder as he beckoned me over with the wave of his hand from where he sat.

As I sauntered back into the living room where he was I began to wonder if he was really _this_ lazy, or if this was just an amusing display of extreme co-dependence. Placing the bag between us as I took a seat next to him, I watched him finally place down his phone only to notice that all this time...he had been playing Candy Crush. If only Grandma-Judge-A lot could have seen this now. She would have been rolling in her grave if she weren't still among the living.

Honestly, would the man _ever_ cease to surprise and amaze me with his confounding behavior?

"So..." I murmured lightly through the comfortable silence as Saboten rummaged through the bag. "What's with you and the cop?" My voice came a little baffled. "I thought you were all about making a big stink and sticking it to the man."

"Officer Davison?" Saboten questioned as his fingers finally wrapped themselves around a lolly pop, and I gave a silent nod to his clarification as he responded in kind with a voiceless shrug. "Nate's alright." He murmured quietly as thin fingers slowly unwrapped the piece of candy. "Been more than a few times where he should have just thrown my ass in jail, but he didn't." His voice lulled in the strange calm of this moment as I listened intently...more than interested in baring witness to this side of the normally secretive man. "He just sat and talked with me. Made me feel like a normal human being." The man whispered softly with something akin to respect in his voice as he finally thrust the lolly pop between his lips into his mouth. "Besides." He muttered almost comically through the lolly pop between his thin lips. "The only time he seems interested in my money _or_ my autograph is when he tickets my ass."

This came as a harsh reminder of who my saboten _really_ was. Having spent so much time with him the past three days, it was difficult to see him as a celebrity. Though really, he was far closer to an anti-celebrity, because he rarely if ever made a point of drawing attention to his fame. In fact...it seemed like most of the time he was actively avoiding it all together.

Having been able to see him as he really was...who I knew him to be...it was difficult for me to imagine him as the performer on stage. The voice behind the music I loved and held so dearly to my heart. The mind behind the words that rushed through my damaged soul and breathed life to my broken heart. It was hard to view him like that seeing him now, because I was irrevocably in love with the man behind the music. And...to be honest...I was beginning to grow a little fond of the broken, damaged, angry, cruel little boy sitting next to me, completely naked. But if I were to meld these two people together I sensed it would ruin the perfect illusion I had in my mind. And I feared that if this were to happen...the hero of my adolescence would die.

So...sitting next to me was just some guy I had met in a club. Just some guy I pursued off hand after that fateful evening. Just some guy that I knew I was probably better off not knowing at all.

Feeling the need to find some separation from the growing chaos of these thoughts, I carefully crawled my way across Saboten's lap. Though I was careful to mind my manners as I reached over for the bottle of vodka he had claimed back without the apology I had demanded in return. Taking the bottle for myself as I delicately straddled Saboten's legs in a way that made it clear I was planning on behaving, I gazed at him through my lashes as the bottle met my lips in a kiss that I desperately wished was with him instead. Sitting on his thighs, having partaken of his favorite poison right in front of him, I offered him a tender smile.

"You know..." I murmured lightly to him, gazing into the depths of his dark smoldering eyes. "You're a really crappy boyfriend." I whispered as he gave a small snort to this fact.

"Tell me something I don't know." He muttered out, his head drooping infinitesimally in what almost seemed like dejection.

"You're really beautiful." I whispered before lightly pecking him on the cheek, handing over the bottle that was rightfully his to begin with.

And to my astonishment, I watched as the man's high cheekbones flushed a shade of pink to my off hand complement to him. And it made me just a bit sad that my complement might have truly been something not many had told him about himself.

"Is this your way of trying to get into my pants?" He grumbled in a show of deflection away from my complement, still avoiding my gaze as the lolly pop lazily dangled from his lips.

"Well..." I voice came in a soft lilt. "...I _might_ be trying to get into your pants..." I bit my lip as I tried not to giggle at how adorable I found him in this moment. "If you were actually wearing any." And I watched in amusement as his chocolate gaze slowly drifted to his unclad lap, giving himself over to a sigh as his expression shifted in slight perplexity.

"Hm." This came as a small puff of befuddlement to his current predicament. "Did you take them off?" He questioned in an apathetic mumble through his lolly pop. "Or did I?" And I openly giggled at his baffled confusion.

"You did." This declaration came murmured with a smile, sincerity ringing in my tone indicating that he could trust my words and the fact that I had not yet violated his 'no sex' rule. "A while ago, actually." I stated truthfully. "They're over there." I indicated to where he had dropped them as proof of my honesty and trustworthiness.

And with a wayward glance to the abandoned blue jeans and a small grunt of acceptance of the validity of my statement the man mulled over his nakedness as the space fell into another lull of peaceful quiet.

A moment of peace that I hoped to take with me when I finally left this place in a few days time.

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, lots of stuff to go over in this chapter.**

 **Firstly, thank you all for the reviews and support...and for waiting so patiently for this last chapter. There's a reason to the delay, I promise. you see...Aden happened to find out what I was doing and read the last chapter. Then he found chapter three and took it away from me, I swear. I had to start all over from scratch. It was like a dog eating my homework. Only it wasn't a dog. And it wasn't homework.**

 **The American Comedian referenced in this chapter is Dane Cook, taken from his stand up "Elevator" skit. Super hilarious. I suggest you youtube it.**

 **The comment "Your lack of cleanliness disturbs me" was graciously loaned to me from Kurumi's creator MoonlitAtMidnight. Thank you for your constant support and inspiration, and allowing me the honor of writing for your character Kurumi again.**

 **Thank you again to SweetLiars for your reviews and enthusiastic support of my writing of this story. And thank you for your unending love and affection for Gabe. Though he doesn't get out to play much, I appreciate how much you love his unsung character.**

 **And Aden's crude/vulgar expression of how he feels about playing with the other children...well...Fandom Angst...that one was for you. In memory of my real life experience. You can thank me later.**

 **Lastly, but not least in importance, is a possible public service announcement. I in no way want to glorify nor do I approve of domestic violence and abuse... And make no mistake,,,what Aden was doing was abusive. It is inexcusable. There are no excuses...but there are reasons. And I thank you all for your continued support of my Aden baby.**


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